fixed the reader's eye not alone upon the "laughing valleys" and the "snow-clad mountains" among which his course lies. I have drawn him aside at times to gaze on something grander still,—even the great acts of that mighty drama that passed upon this stage. It is true, the narrative is not continuous; on the contrary, it is somewhat fragmentary. Still, I have said enough to give the reader an adequate idea of what the Waldenses were, and did, and suffered, and of what Christendom owes to them.
I once thought of introducing into the volume some account of the present state of Piedmont, and of its upward workings toward constitutional liberty and a new social life. I had intended to speak of those evangelical agencies which are springing up in Sardinia, and influencing, from a variety of centres, its condition and prospects. And it was my special design to enter with some fulness into the present condition of the Church of the Valleys, which, I feel, must ever be the base of all evangelical action in Piedmont and in the north of Italy. Important materials, which would have much assisted me in the execution of this part of my task, have been kindly transmitted to me from friends at La Torre, and other parts of Piedmont, for which I tender my most grateful thanks. I had, moreover, some suggestions to offer, which, by the blessing of God, might have helped to ameliorate the temporal condition of the Waldenses, and might have aided their spiritual progress. But, as the volume advanced, I felt that I must restrict myself to my first and main object, and leave the other part of my plan to some future opportunity, should it please Providence ever to grant me such, and should no better qualified person undertake it in the meantime.